Martín Landaluce arrived in Miami ranked 151st in the world, without a single tour-level win in 2026. He left with six straight victories, a first Masters 1000 quarterfinal, and the attention of everyone paying attention. The 20-year-old Spaniard — a product of the Rafa Nadal Academy — came through qualifying, upset Karen Khachanov in straight sets, then saved a match point against Sebastian Korda to win in three. He became the lowest-ranked Miami quarterfinalist since 1994. Jiri Lehecka ended the run in the QF, but the story was already written. Landaluce’s name is now in the notebook.
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner continues to operate on a different frequency. His win over Michelsen — 7-5, 7-6(4) — extended his Masters 1000 set-winning streak to 26, breaking Djokovic’s all-time record. He hasn’t dropped a set since the start of Indian Wells. If he wins three more matches, he completes the Sunshine Double — Indian Wells and Miami in the same year. The last man to do it was Federer in 2017. No one else looks capable of stopping him right now.
Miami Open — ATP notable results:
R4: Sinner [2] d. Michelsen — 7-5, 7-6(4)
QF: Lehecka d. Landaluce [Q] — 7-6(1), 7-5
R4: Landaluce [Q] d. Korda — 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 (saved 1 MP)
QF: Fils d. Paul [12] — saved 4 match points, 3 sets
R4: Lehecka d. Fritz [8] — straight sets
R3: Korda d. Alcaraz [1] — 3 sets
Miami Open — WTA notable results:
QF: Gauff [4] d. Bencic — 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
QF: Muchova d. Mboko — 7-5, 7-6
QF: Sabalenka [1] d. Baptiste — 6-4, 6-4
QF: Rybakina [3] d. Pegula [6] — 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Ranking Movers:
Sinner extends his grip on No. 2 — the Sunshine Double would vault him closer to Alcaraz in the Race.
Landaluce projected to jump from No. 151 to inside the top 110 after his QF run.
Lehecka continues his hard-court surge — potential top-20 entry incoming.
On the WTA side, Sabalenka holds No. 1 comfortably, Rybakina solidifies No. 3 with back-to-back SF runs at Indian Wells and Miami, and Muchova’s resurgence continues with a projected re-entry into the top 15.
Sinner breaks Djokovic’s record. Twenty-six consecutive sets won at the Masters 1000 level — the longest streak in history. The previous record of 24 belonged to Djokovic. It’s the kind of stat that sounds made up until you watch Sinner play and realise it’s entirely logical.
Landaluce’s six-match run ends, but the story is just beginning. Through qualifying and into the QF as a 151-ranked qualifier from the Nadal Academy. He saved a match point against Korda in R4 and only lost to Lehecka 7-6(1), 7-5 — no shame in that scoreline. The clay season could be where he really announces himself.
Arthur Fils saved four match points against Tommy Paul. Four. The 20-year-old Frenchman continues to show a competitive resilience that belies his age. He’s becoming appointment viewing in every tight match he plays.
Swiatek’s opening-round loss in Miami was her earliest exit at a WTA 1000 event in five years. She’s still adjusting to the post-coaching-change period. The clay season can’t come soon enough for her game.
Gauff is the last American standing on both sides of the draw. In front of her home crowd at Hard Rock Stadium, she’s looked increasingly sharp — the semifinal against Muchova could be one of the matches of the tournament.
Sinner for the Sunshine Double — the value is shrinking but the case is overwhelming. He’s won 26 straight sets at M1000 level. He hasn’t been broken in his last four matches. The draw has opened up with Alcaraz gone and Fritz eliminated. If there’s ever been a time to back the favourite, it’s now.
Muchova’s comeback trajectory is real. After missing most of 2024-25 with a wrist injury, Karolina Muchova has now made the SF at Indian Wells and the SF at Miami back-to-back. She’s moving well, her variety is as good as ever, and she’s beating quality opponents. The market still prices her as a comeback story. She’s past that — she’s a contender again.
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The ATP Tour loves a fairy tale, and Martin Landaluce just delivered one of the best of the year. Coming into Miami, the 20-year-old Spaniard had zero tour-level wins in 2026. His ranking — 151 — meant he needed to come through qualifying just to reach the main draw. Six matches later, he was standing in a Masters 1000 quarterfinal.
What made his run remarkable wasn’t just the results — it was the manner. The third-round win over Karen Khachanov was clinical: 6-3, 7-6(2). No wobbles, no hint of a player overwhelmed by the occasion. But the fourth-round match against Sebastian Korda was the one that revealed the full picture. Down a set and facing a match point in the second-set tiebreak, Landaluce found a way through. He won the breaker 8-6, then dominated the decider 6-4. That’s not luck — that’s competitive character showing itself under pressure.
Landaluce trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, and the fingerprints are visible. The work ethic. The baseline intensity. The refusal to accept a losing position. His coach, former tour player Tomas Carbonell, has talked about Landaluce’s mental toughness being his greatest weapon — and Miami proved it.
The quarterfinal loss to Jiri Lehecka — 7-6(1), 7-5 — was no disgrace. Lehecka is a top-25 player in peak form who had just dispatched Taylor Fritz. Landaluce competed in both sets and was only a few points from extending the match. The gap was narrow, and it’s closing.
The bigger picture is this: Landaluce is about to jump roughly 40 places in the rankings. He’ll enter the clay season — his natural surface — with confidence, a protected ranking for Masters qualifying, and the knowledge that he can trade blows with top-30 players and win. The Nadal Academy has produced a player who looks ready to climb. The question isn’t whether he’ll break through — it’s how fast.
The best highlights from Miami this week:
Miami Open — Semifinals (March 26 & 27). The tournament reaches its business end tomorrow. WTA matches to watch:
Gauff vs Muchova (WTA): Two contrasting styles. Gauff’s power baseline game against Muchova’s craft and variety. In front of a home crowd, Gauff will be the favourite, but Muchova has been the better player across the Sunshine Swing.
Sabalenka vs Rybakina (WTA): A rematch of the Indian Wells final. Sabalenka won that one in three sets. Rybakina will want revenge. This could be the match of the tournament.
On the horizon: The clay court season begins April 6 with Monte Carlo. Two weeks to adjust, recover, and recalibrate. For some, Miami’s later rounds are already a bridge to red dirt. Until next time.